Revista Analele Banatului S.N. Arheologie-Istorie

Zoltan Iusztin

Comitele de Timiș. Un baron al Regatului medieval Maghiar / The Count of Timiș. A Baron of the Hungarian Kingdom

1 Ianuarie 2011

Abstract

From the beginning of the XIIIth century, the most powerful dignitary in the territory between the rivers Mures, Tisza, Danube and the western slopes of the Transylvanian Alps was the Ban of Severin. Despite its temporary vacancy, the rank and the dignity were maintained until the XVIth century, yet some historians like Maria Holban speak about a “fantastic existence”. Certainly, this is only one of the reasons who cause, during the XIVth and the XVth centuries, at the political level, a competitor institution. Then, without being officially included between the baronial ranks, the count’s seat confers to the Count of Timiș himself the same form of address granted to the Transylvania Vayvoda or the Bans of Slavonia and Croatia. This was not a spontaneous decision by the Central rulers, nor did it occur in a single moment, rather it was the result of an internal process reflecting the political changes at the south-eastern frontier of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. In view of the Ottoman threats, the southern border became very fragile, necessitating that important human and financial resources be supplied for the defense of the frontier. the dignitary who would manage the entire situation and would lead a part of the operations for repelling the Ottoman raids would be the count of Timiş.